Many beverages achieve their optimum characteristics when served at a particular temperature or temperature range. For example, with some malt beverages, enhanced flavor and overall beverage performance can be realized if the beverage is served within a known temperature range. It is well known that, particularly for malt beverages, it is advantageous to serve the beverage at a cooled temperature in order to maximize the flavor characteristics of the beverage. However, for impromptu parties or other short notice social events, a consumer may not have enough time to cool the beverage within a standard cooling device such as a refrigerator. In other circumstances, a consumer may wish to cool the beverage beyond the set temperature of the user's refrigerator. For example, the user may wish to “super cool” the beverage to near the freezing point of the beverage.
Once solution that consumers attempt for quick cooling or super cooling is to place the beverage within the freezer portion of the refrigerator. However, if the beverage is not timely retrieved, the expansion of the beverage as it freezes causes the container to leak. Further, once the beverage achieves its freezing temperature, the beverage will quickly freeze making the beverage unsuitable for consumption. Further, substantial freezing of the beverage can harm the flavor of the beverage as well as its appearance.
Therefore, there is a need to provide a system and method for effectively cooling a beverage with standard cooling devices such as freezer portions of refrigerators, without the consumer experiencing the negative effects of rupturing of the beverage container and freezing of the beverage making it unfit for consumption. There is also a need to achieve these goals with a relatively simple and inexpensive solution, and one that is readily available to many consumers.
In the field of mobile communication devices, many device applications or “apps” have been developed to provide a user with functional benefits based upon the capabilities of the mobile device. Typically, a mobile device will include not only a capable microprocessor that enables a user to run many device apps simultaneously, but also the mobile devices includes a camera/video camera that is capable of taking high resolution pictures and videos. Mobile communication devices have become quite popular, particularly for their ability to provide both a wide array of apps and a gateway for participating in social networks.
Considering the broad functional capabilities of a mobile device, it would therefore be advantageous if a mobile device could also perform the unique function of determining the state of a beverage along with the capability to communicate the state of a beverage within a social network for determining the timing of a social event or to provide a means to generate a social invitation.